Bleader

R.I.P., Casey Calvert

Hawthorne Heights, possibly the most lawyer-ridden band in Indieville, had intended to preview material from their held-up third album on their current tour, but all that probably seems unimportant to them now. On Saturday guitarist Casey Calvert, age 26, was found unconscious in the band's tour van around 2:30 PM in Washington, D.C., before their scheduled show that night at the 9:30 Club. Police were called, and Calvert was pronounced dead at the scene.

From all reports this seems to have come as a complete shock: Calvert hadn't complained of any illness recently, and in a heartwrenching statement on their Web site, his bandmates say, "We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. Please, out of respect to Casey and his family, don't contribute or succumb to any gossip you may hear." A request worth honoring, even if it is a tall order. We humans tend to cling a few favorite notions to get us through our journeys on an insignificant planet in a vast indifferent universe, and one of them is that healthy 26-year-olds simply do not die in their sleep for no reason.

Wikipedia says a D.C. news affiliate reported that Calvert suffered from acute asthma, and that it may have played a role in his death.